Deconvolution of Images from BLAST 2005: Insight into the K3-50 and IC 5146 Star-Forming Regions

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates an improved image deconvolution method for submillimeter telescope data, applying it to star-forming regions K3-50 and IC 5146, revealing detailed structures and physical properties of clumps and protostars.

Contribution

The paper introduces an implementation of the Lucy-Richardson deconvolution for BLAST data and applies it to reveal new insights into star-forming regions, improving image resolution and analysis.

Findings

Resolved three clumps in K3-50 with detailed physical properties.

Identified ten compact sources with cold temperatures and associated YSOs.

Restored large-scale structures in IC 5146 correlating with other observations.

Abstract

We present an implementation of the iterative flux-conserving Lucy-Richardson (L-R) deconvolution method of image restoration for maps produced by the Balloon-borne Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (BLAST). We have analyzed its performance and convergence extensively through simulations and cross-correlations of the deconvolved images with available highresolution maps. We present new science results from two BLAST surveys, in the Galactic regions K3-50 and IC 5146, further demonstrating the benefits of performing this deconvolution. We have resolved three clumps within a radius of 4.'5 inside the star-forming molecular cloud containing K3-50. Combining the well-resolved dust emission map with available multi-wavelength data, we have constrained the Spectral Energy Distributions (SEDs) of five clumps to obtain masses (M), bolometric luminosities (L), and dust temperatures (T). The L-M diagram has been used as a diagnostic tool to estimate the evolutionary stages of the clumps. There are close relationships between dust continuum emission and both 21-cm radio continuum and 12CO molecular line emission. The restored extended large scale structures in the Northern Streamer of IC 5146 have a strong spatial correlation with both SCUBA and high resolution extinction images. A dust temperature of 12 K has been obtained for the central filament. We report physical properties of ten compact sources, including six associated protostars, by fitting SEDs to multi-wavelength data. All of these compact sources are still quite cold (typical temperature below ~ 16 K) and are above the critical Bonner-Ebert mass. They have associated low-power Young Stellar Objects (YSOs). Further evidence for starless clumps has also been found in the IC 5146 region.